


Christmas Special

by BloodyMary, Shanxara



Series: Clan Mar-Vellous [5]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Christmas Special, F/M, Fluff, WAFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-09-24 05:35:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17094854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodyMary/pseuds/BloodyMary, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shanxara/pseuds/Shanxara
Summary: Even super heroes need a holiday sometime. (Also, we need an excuse to write cute.)





	1. Part I

It’s the first Christmas Mar-Vell will be spending on Earth. He knows it from his time as a spy, and from Rick’s rants – Rick usually got angry and morose around it. A holiday to spend with family and show everyone how much you love them, tends to feel like proof of failure for people who have neither. So, he recognises Carol’s apprehension, as the day comes closer.

“We don’t have to celebrate”, he tries to head her off. “Neither of us follow that religious tradition and you don’t have to introduce me to your family or anything – I am perfectly fine with not treating it as a special day.”

Carol sighs. “If it were that easy,” she says. “I’m still going to feel like it ought to be a special day, but…”

Mar-Vell thinks for a moment, trying to figure out something that’d help. “We could make it special in some other way?”

Carol blinks and laughs. “Of course. We could just spend it together somewhere nice.”

Now it’s Mar-Vell’s turn to blink confusedly.

“It’s not that uncommon for people to go on a holiday during Christmas,” Carol explains. “Because it’s either not your tradition, or because you… don’t get along with your family.”

“A holiday?” Mar-Vell only feels marginally less confused. He knows what the word means… Just, he never really thought of it in connection with himself.

“Wait, don’t you get any holidays in the Kree Empire?” Carol asks disbelieving. “No days off?”

“Days off do happen”, he says. “Just, they are meant for ensuring you stay fit to fight. So, people sleep or rest or maybe blow off steam by going to races or bet on fights.”

“Right,” Carol says. “We’re going on a proper holiday. I’m booking a hotel and everything.”

Seeing her so determined and fired up, Mar-Vell cannot help but smile. “I’m happy to be educated about holidays.”

“And I’m going to make sure that we’re not interrupted unless the world is ending,” Carol adds after a moment, and kisses Mar-Vell’s cheek. “Would you rather go somewhere with mountains or to a city?”

“I’ll leave that to you.” Mar-Vell really has no preference, other than seeing Carol happy. “Whatever you will pick, I am sure I will enjoy it.”

  

* * *

 

 

“Oh, you get a plus one this year for the Christmas party,” Melissa laughs, as she looks at her mail.

“I thought it was the other sect that celebrated Christmas? The big one?” Genis asks, confused.

“You might want to use a different word for them,” Melissa says. “Christians get pretty touch if you call them a sect. Anyway, as to your question—yes, they celebrate Christmas, but since it’s a day off anyway, many Jewish families in New York went to eat Chinese. Since they also don’t celebrate Christmas. And Kitty Pryde started organizing a party like that for Jewish super heroes a while ago.”

“And now you can come with someone else,” Genis says. “Why couldn’t you earlier?”

“Because none of us had a plus one, I suppose,” Melissa says. “With me and Wiccan, and Ben Grimm, there’s at least three of us.” She glances at the invitation and frowns. “Although it seems that Wiccan won’t be coming. He has the flu.”

“Is it wrong that I’m relieved that I won’t be meeting Hulkling yet?” Genis asks.

“If you want to meet Hulkling, it’s better if we invite them or visit them independently”, Melissa muses. “Otherwise it would be very distracting, when people just want to have a relaxed dinner with friends.”

“Wait, you mean people would watch me make an idiot out of myself over meeting my half-brother?” Genis asks, only half-serious. “OK, I think I’d manage not to make a fool out of myself, but it’d be pretty stressful.”

“We can ask them if they want to meet up at some other date, after Christmas,” Melissa says.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” Genis leans down to kiss Melissa’s cheek. “So, the party thing. What do I need to do?”

“Well, superheroes come in costume, since it is a formal thing, but since you’re not active right now, you can come wearing some other thing,” Melissa says. “I guess nice pants and a sweater will be good.”

Genis touches his neck. “Or a suit?” He sounds very apprehensive. “Wouldn’t that be expected?”

“If you’d like? But since Ben Grimm’s costume usually consists of panties and a belt, I’d not worry about appropriate formalities.” There is a slightly malicious note to her smile.


	2. Part II

Mar-Vell has absolutely no idea of normal life. It doesn’t make him clueless, or unable to buy stuff in the supermarket. He knows these things, or at least, with cosmic awareness, he is capable to manoeuvre around New York like your average person. It’s more that everything he does that is not fully driven by a specific purpose makes him utterly bewildered.

He lived on Earth as a human when he was a spy, and he tried to find a way to have an existence outside superheroing after he unbonded from Rick. The first had its own purpose and all human interactions were driven by the role he was playing and his mission. The second lasted only a short time and Carol doesn’t think he enjoyed it very much.

Now, that he is neither spy nor superhero, and is just here to be… He reminds Carol of a child. One that walks around the world wide eyed and only vaguely comprehends the adults around who are bustling and rushing and always busy.

It makes her want to go and kick the Kree empire in their collective asses. “Who the fuck made you think that being happy is unimportant?”

“I don’t think that was one person,” Mar-Vell says. “Just… it never did seem like it was important, when so many other things were at stake.”

Instead of an answer, she leans forward and kisses him. “I’m sorry. Was just thinking aloud. And it’s not unimportant. You are not unimportant. And I hope you can be happy occasionally. Or more often than occasionally.”

“I am happy,” Mar-Vell replies, wrapping his arms around her. “It’s just… strange thinking that it matters.”

“Of course it matters,” Carol says. “You care if others are unhappy—why would it be any different with you?”

He blinks and then smiles. “I hope it is not.” When she wants to affirm this, he puts a finger on her lips. “I know. And I am happy to know.” He puts his head on her shoulder. “I guess I was pretty unfair to Elysius and Una…”

“You were unfair?” Carol asks, touching his cheek. “I have a hard time imagining that.”

“It’s pretty hard to explain…”

She decides to take this as a cue and puts hot chocolate on the stove and Mar-Vell on the sofa. Immediately Chewie cat-teleports on his lap, purring like a champion.

“I’m not moping,” Mar-Vell says to Chewie, who continues purring. “Am I moping?”

“No, you are not.” Carol takes herself a cup of coffee and sits down on the sofa beside them. “You look a bit sad.”

“I’m trying to put into words what I just thought.” He leans against Carol and starts to pet the purring flerken. He shifts his hand slightly, so that he’s scratching Chewie under her chin. “It’s just that.. it never really occurred to me that anyone I’ve been with might be doing something specifically to make me happy. In retrospect, I can tell they were, but I just didn’t see it like this.”

“They loved you. Of course they would.” She puts her head on his shoulder. “And your friends care, too.”

“I guess I stopped looking for this at some point. I was happy sometimes, content, accomplished… Just, it was like it was a random thing that sometimes happens. Like it sometimes rains.”

Carol curls closer to him. “I think this is getting to the point where I can only tell you that you should talk to a therapist, because I don’t have any good advice. And I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Mar-Vell replies.

“That doesn’t mean I can regret it.” Chewie squeaks rudely.

“What did she say? That I’m moping now?” Carol lifts the cat up. “I probably should be glad I can’t understand you. If your language was translated on tv it would probably consist entirely of *beeps*.”

“Hm, I don’t think I remember her cursing at all,” Mar-Vell says, which Chewie clearly takes as a challenge. “And now she’s demonstrating that she can curse.”

“Chewie…” Carol shakes her head. “I don’t think there is anything you can’t do. Other than opening cans, because it’s much more catlike to get them opened for you.”

“If I made cans, they’d be easier to open with tentacles,” Chewie huffs.

“That wouldn’t be even remotely as interesting as meowing at people”, Mar-Vell says with a smile.

“Well, perhaps not,” Chewie concedes. “You can scratch me behind the ears now.”

Obediently, Carol sets the cat down on Mar-Vell’s lap again, who proceeds to do as asked. “Ok, so now I am doing something to make you happy”, he says musingly, “Do you do something because I will like it, too?”

“I’m purring. And warming you. And I’m amusing you. I exist. Therefore I make you happy.” Chewie sounds distinctly smug. When Mar-Vell translates, Carol dissolves into giggles.

 

* * *

 

 

The cabin isn’t exactly looking like the one’s in movies. The décor is definitely more modern with less wood, so it only looks cosy rather than quaint. If Carol had felt like cooking, there’s a kitchen, but for now they had ordered food from the nearby restaurant. It’s definitely nice enough.

Carol leans against Mar-Vell and sighs contently. “This is nice, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Mar-Vell says, wrapping his arms around her. “Very peaceful.”

“So what do you want to do? Do you want to watch a movie?” Carol asks.

“Not right now,” Mar-Vell replies and kisses her cheek. “That’s mean one of us has to get up.”

“Only for a moment,” Carol laughs, “but I see your point.” She turns around in his arms, so she can kiss him properly. Movies and other holiday things can wait for a moment. Perhaps a longer moment. Eventually, they end up curled up against each other, and Carol strokes his cheek. “Do you miss having your powers?” she asks before she can think better about it.

“I miss flying,” he says after a moment. “And how they felt. Like having a star under my skin.”

Carol smiles then. “Yeah, flying on a plane isn’t really the same as on your own. I always wanted to fly, even as a child. I used to run as fast as I could, because it was the closest I could imagine to how it’d feel like.”

“We had antigravity training and the flight harness, but it wasn’t the same either,” Mar-Vell replies. He puts his hand over hers and squeezes gently. “So how do your powers feel like?”

“Pretty close to what you described now,” she says. “And now that I think about it, it’s probably also the other thing I’d miss most if I lost them. Back when I lost my first set I missed flying most.”

And Carol may not have her Seventh Sense anymore, but she doesn’t need to guess why Mar-Vell named the things he named as the parts about having powers as the ones he liked most. If you’re denied power over yourself, be it by your family or a whole system, and then you are gain super powers, then you will care more about what they mean than using them.

Flying is probably the best symbol for that—caged birds probably dream about freedom—but being able to become a supernova with a thought also will set you free. Or at least give you the impression. She did learn that super powers or not, there are ways to take someone’s choice away.

After all, she kept on going after Rogue took away her powers, but she gave up after Marcus.

“I guess we do have some things in common,” Mar-Vell says with a smile, as he puts his arm back around her.

“Maybe a few,” she replies and smiles back. She brushes her hand through his hair. “We’re both blonds now.”

“And we’ve both always had blue eyes,” Mar-Vell says with a grin.

“Are there Kree with brown eyes?” Carol asks. She can’t remember having met any.

“Yes, but it tends to be closer to red or yellow than in humans,” Mar-Vell replies. “And more often it’s just yellow or red.”

“And for humans, it’s the most common eye-colour,” Carol says.


	3. Part III

Genis stares into the mirror. The Genis in the mirror stares back at him with the same expression of dawning horror. He has some idea of Earth fashion, mostly derived from Rick and so he knows that the clothes he’d have worn to a party back when he went to parties would be… weird.

But knowing what he _can’t_ wear, is not the same as knowing what he’s going to wear. He had been leaning towards a sweater, but what if it’s too informal? Or too formal? Wait, no, it can’t be too anything, because Ben Grimm will be there in Fantastic Four underwear. He probably could wear his terrible space clothes and still come out looking less silly.

“You could just come in costume,” Melissa points out from their bed. Apparently, after reading Twilight, she decided to catch up on “young adult fantasy” and was now in the middle of something called Inheritance Trilogy.

“I don’t have a costume anymore,” Genis points out. Then pauses. “Not that it’s actually a problem since I can change the molecules of my clothes into one.”

“Mhm,” Melissa says. “You… OK, look, I think the large swaths of dark colour look amazing on you but there’s a tiny problem with those.”

Genis looked at her expectantly.

“Well, when you use cosmic awareness, they start showing your skin, right?” Melissa says, and it dawns on Genis.

“Oh, right and since they’ve all been pretty tight, I look naked,” he says. “I wonder why Rick never mentioned that. But that’s not going to be a problem during a party, right?”

“Probably not,” Melissa says. She giggles. “And it’s not like I mind seeing you naked.”

“Well, some other people might,” Genis says with a wry smile. “But since Teddy won’t be there, I guess I won’t have to worry about making my brother feel awkward. Though, Phy never commented either.”

“I don’t think she noticed,” Melissa says.

“Good, then let’s not mention that to her,” Genis replies. “That’s be just weird.”

  

* * *

 

In the end, Genis just goes in the black Photon suit, because it’s really not a bad one and he doesn’t look like he’s trying to be his father too hard in it. And, as it turns out, he shouldn’t have worried about coming in civilian clothes, because both The Thing’s and Shadowcat’s plus ones are a civilians.

“Well, now I’m civilian,” the man says with a charming smile. He’s really not bad looking with the messy brown hair and a roughish grin. What did he say was his name? Harold Jo… something. “I used to be Air Force, but there was a bit of a misunderstanding. And no, I didn’t flirt with someone’s daughter.”

“You flirted with someone’s son?” Genis guesses. Harold Something nearly chokes on his drink and Melissa starts giggling.

“You walked right into this one, Hal,” Shadowcat says patting the man’s back. “Now come on, stop trying to impress Genis—may I call you Genis?”

“Sure,” Genis says. “And I don’t think he can impress me with stories about with whom he flirted.”

“Is that a bet?” Hal asks with a grin.

“Let’s get ourselves something to drink,” Shadowcat says to Melissa with a laugh. “He’s going to be at it for the whole evening now.”

“No, seriously, you can’t impress me,” Genis says. “Not unless you flirted with something that doesn’t communicate with any language a human can perceive and has no body.”

“Kitty? Would you be very mad?..” Hal asks looking after Shadowcat.

“A bit mad,” she replies. Then, she turns to Genis, “Don’t give him ideas.”

Genis looks to Hal and figures it might be a good idea to change subjects. “So… You were a pilot?..”

“I’m still one, just a test pilot now,” he replies. “I work at-“

“Hey, who stole the egg rolls?!” Ben Grim yells from the table, only for Moon Knight to comment dryly, “You must have a split personality too, because I saw you eat them all.”

“Somehow, this is not what I imagined one of the most famous superheroes to be like,” Hal says, as he looks in the direction of The Thing.

Genis shrugs. “Eh. Maybe he’s having a bad day?”

“Since you were in the airforce, do you know Carol Danvers?” Melissa asks Hal, as he appears with two glasses besides Genis.

Hal stares at her blankly for a moment, then gasps, “Oh yeah. Captain Marvel, right? Er… She punched me once.”

Genis looks curious. "Why would she do that? Were you a supervillain?"

"What? No, no," Hal says. "It's a pretty long story, and involves my older brother being a jerk, and my mother being… complicated."

"That doesn't really explain much", Genis answers. "But I guess you don’t want to talk about it?"

"Yeah, look, my family is kind of a train wreck, save for my younger brother," Hal says. "Believe me, you don't want to know."

  

* * *

 

 

Mar-Vell stares at the screen with an almost comical expression of horror.

“So… so… some people take a dead bird, stuff it with a dead bird and then stuff it into another dead bird?” he asks. “And they eat it?”

“And some people add sausage or shrimp,” Carol says as she looks up from her laptop. She’s feeling a bit stunned. Sure, she loves burgers, but that amount of meat sounds like asking for indigestion.

“Why?” Mar-Vell asks.

Carol looks at her laptop and hazards, “Toxic masculinity?” She pauses. “Too much money, too little sense combined with meat still being held as a better food than plants?”

“Because you need a lot of plants to make a meat, but don’t need meat to make a plant?” Mar-Vell asks. “That does make some sense. I suppose.”

"Yes, likely. How stupid is that?"

"Some Kree do it too," Mar-Vell says with a shrug. "And meat is even more expensive in the Empire, since you have only a few places where there's livestock." He shakes his head. “I think that’s enough cooking shows for a while.”

“There are other things we could do,” Carol replies, as she abandons her laptop completely, in favour of cuddling up to Mar-Vell’s back. She hesitates for a moment, then decides to bite the bullet. “Do you want more children?”

She feels him tense in her arms, and he turns around to look at her. “Are you pregnant?”

“No,” Carol says quickly.

That seems to come as a relief to him and he says, “I don’t think I’m ready for another one. I don’t know if I’m ever going to be, to be truthful.”

Since he isn’t ruling it out categorically, Carol realises she has to be plain. “Do you remember what I told you about Marcus?”

He nods, starting to look worried.

“The first thing I did, after coming back, before moving to San Francisco, before cancelling all my bank accounts and disappearing, was finding a doctor and getting my tubes tied. I cannot have children. Ever again.”

She doesn’t know what she expected, but it was probably what happens… Mar-Vell embraces her fiercely. “I love you.” The emphasis is on ‘you’. He doesn’t have to say more, and she stops struggling with her tears and cries into his shoulder. It’s not that she ever regretted it. That she actually thinks it possible she might want to have children. Just… Every time she was with someone, and they were getting serious, she felt like a liar for not immediately telling them.

Maybe this is what Christmas is all about, underneath the trappings of religion and of commerce and kitsch? Showing people, you love them, with all their scars?

She looks up and wipes her nose with her sleeve. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kitty's new boyfriend is not a Marvel character, if anyone's wondering. He would be a super hero if this were a cross over, though.


	4. Part IV

There are certain downsides to some superhero costumes. Moon Knights mask prevents him from eating, unless he pulls it up, and since he’s wearing white all stains are starkly visible on it. Which is a bit unfortunate, because somehow he’d managed to get soup on his pants.

“Well, fuck,” he announces gloomily.

“Don’t tell me it doesn’t get dirty when you’re out,” Ben Grimm says. The staff had brought more egg rolls, and so he’s eating them with gusto.

“Can you pretend you didn’t notice?” Moon Knight replies.

“Just like you pretended not to notice I ate all the egg rolls?” Ben Grimm grumbles. “And you didn’t even bother to call the waiter.”

Genis decides this is absolutely none of his business. Those are two grown men, who can settle their differences on their own, and he has a girlfriend to entertain. It’s not like he doesn’t have an example to follow, given that Hal the Test Pilot is feeding Shadowcat something that will not make too much mess. There’s definitely something on his plate that ought to do the trick, since he decided to just try everything.

“Hey, save that for your bedroom,” Ben Grimm grumbles.

“Why are you picking on the kids?” Moon Knight asks. “They’re adorable.”

“Are you targeting me personally for something?” Ben Grim replies. His date seems to be perfectly happy ignoring all of this in favor of her soup.

“I’d say he’s jealous, but he’s got a date,” Melissa comments, as she looks up from her chicken with noodles.

Genis shrugs. “So… can we maybe set him and Moon Knight with some party game to keep the occupied?”

“I heard you, Marvel Boy,” Ben Grimm says.

“I didn’t say anything!” Justice pipes up.

“I think you’re confusing me with the Uranian, Noh-Varr or Justice,” Genis replies with perfect earnestness. No one has to know that he actually checked beforehand who went by Marvel Boy just in case someone decides this is a good joke to make. “I mean sure I get that me and the Uranian can be easy to confuse, since we’re both handsome blonds, but Justice doesn’t look like me. And Noh-Varr is definitely prettier than I am. Say, do you think the Uranian is better looking or I am?”

Human men tend to get flustered by any implication that they might be attracted to other men. Ben Grimm stares at him suspiciously.

“Oh sorry, I forgot about Quasar,” Genis adds after a moment.

“Please don’t ask me who you think looks better out of you three,” Justice laughs. “Your girlfriend might be offended if I pick the wrong option.”

“Genis is obviously the best-looking out of them all,” Melissa says, and kisses his cheek. “But I think there was someone going around as Marvel Boy during World War II?”

“Maybe,” Justice agrees. “I’d have to check, it ought to be on Knowypedia.” 

 

* * *

 

 

Mar-Vell has experience with snow. That is, he knows that it’s cold and wet if given a chance. It’s also quite picturesque, and the cold is a very good excuse to cuddle while walking together. He’s not really sure Carol actually does feel the cold—he didn’t back when he still had photonic powers—but it’s nonetheless very nice.

“So, do little Kree make snow-Kree?” Carol asks.

“I… think I very vaguely remember making a snow castle before I was sent to the Academy,” he replies. “The teachers preferred us to have snowball fights.”

“Do you want to make one?” Carol asks.

Mar-Vell finds himself grinning at the idea. “Why not?”

Snow, as it turns out, is not the ideal material for such endeavors, but with some work, the castle starts appearing castle-like after a while. It’s pretty squat, and is probably more of a fortress, but then he’s pretty sure most castles were supposed to be fortresses anyway.

“Is this a real place?” Carol asks, as she puts up a wall.

“Hm? No,” Mar-Vell says. “Or rather it’s several different places I’ve seen. I just took the bits that looked like they can be made from snow.”

Carol looks at the castle for a moment, and then asks, “Do you have any castles on Earth you’d like to visit?”

“Not off the top of my head, no,” Mar-Vell says. He considers using Cosmic Awareness, but he remembers that Earth has quite a lot of countries, a lot of which are old enough to have structures from periods when castles were a thing. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“I can think of a few,” Carol says. “It depends on what you want to see, really.”

“I’m not really sure,” Mar-Vell says after another moment. “I suppose we’ll have to start with the famous places.”


	5. Part V

It’s actually snowing when Melissa and Genis leave. Little white snowflakes fall on them and everything else, covering the world in white. It’s lovely, crisp and cold. Melissa cuddles closer to Genis, who might be clueless about several things, but cuddling with his girlfriend in the cold isn’t one.

“That was quite lively,” Genis says after a moment. “Also, there was a lot less drinking and other stuff then I’m used to at parties.”

“Do I want to know?” Melissa laughs.

“No really, no,” Genis replies. “It’s mostly very embarrassing. Or embarrassing. Or mildly embarrassing, but never not embarrassing. Though if you’d have asked me back when I was going to those parties, I’d have probably insist this one was boring.”

“Oh, I’d have been bored out of my skull too when I was younger,” Melissa says, then shakes her head. “Well, no, I’d have been panicking about all those superheroes in the same place as I am.”

“Well, let’s both agree that we’ve made some better choices than our past selves would have?” Genis says after a moment.

“Oh yes,” Melissa laughs. “Did I ever show you pictures of my old costume?”

“Yeah,” Genis says with a grin. “Apparently both Phy and I go for women who used to wear silly green clothes.”

“Charmer,” Melissa replies. “So, if we get an invite next year, should we come?”

“Sure,” Genis says. “And this time, I will just keep teleporting away egg rolls from Ben Grimm.”

Melissa can’t help but giggle at the thought.

 

* * *

 

Mar-Vell is not entirely convinced about the idea of horse-drawn anything. Still, it is an ancient human tradition and he was willing to try it out. Certainly, it seemed that humans found horses particularly charming, which he could at least see why. They did look elegant.

Besides, sitting in a horse-drawn sleigh had other pluses, such as being close to Carol. To be honest, he couldn’t really come up with a situation when that wouldn’t be a plus.

He wasn’t convinced the bells were a necessity, though. They chimed, loudly announcing their arrival—perhaps a warning, giving anyone time to clear the path? They were riding quite fast, cold air rushing around them and biting the exposed parts of his face. It wasn’t as fast as flying or driving, but the landscape still flashed beside them: white snow on trees and on the ground, and the sky growing slowly darker and darker.

At some point, Carol put her head on his shoulder, and they’d been holding hands ever since the ride started. They both wore gloves, though in Carol’s case it was more for appearance—her powers came with a resistance to cold that could easily withstand a winter like that.

Finally, the sleigh reaches a clearing on the mountain side, where they stop. The coachman gets down and walks around the horses, to cover them with blankets. “We’ll stop here for a bit. So, you can look at the stars.” He winks.

From in front of the horses, he won’t see them, so they have some privacy. The horses shake their heads making the bells tinkle a little and then settle down.

“You can actually see the stars here,” Carol says, as she looks up. Mar-Vell does the same and smiles.

“It’s not so easy on a number of Kree planets—you have a better chance of seeing them from a spaceship, than from the surface,” he says. “It’s a pity. The view is amazing.”

Carol locks her fingers with his. “Earth is a lot more than you have seen yet”, she says softly. “I can’t wait to show you.”

He looks down and kisses her forehead. “Merry Christmas, Carol.”

Carol smiles then and reaches up with her free hand. “And Merry Christmas to you. Did you enjoy it?”

“Quite a lot,” he says and smiles. “I think I could get used to having holidays.” He pauses for a moment, and adds, “It feels like I can have a life now—not just wait for the next day, but have a future.”

Carol reaches up and kisses him. “I’m happy you are happy.”

“Did you enjoy Christmas?” Mar-Vell asks, after a moment.

“Yes,” Carol says. “We could do it next year again, if you want to.”

“Yes, let’s,” he says. It’s new that he has plans for the next year—it’s been very long since he had them, but it feels reassuring. He is alive again.


End file.
